Sheila's Bakery thanks everyone for the past year

The little bakery on Broad Street will close at the end of December, but that doesn’t have to be the end of its story.

When Sheila Tieken opened the her bakery a year ago, she knew it was a perfect fit for downtown.

“Opening the bakery was exciting and new,” Tieken said, “and I saw it as a great opportunity to be involved in the community while providing a needed service.”

Tieken put in long hours and faced a big learning curve since this was her first business.

“Running the bakery was sometimes a challenge but rewarding,” Tieken said. “I got to do what I loved – baking – while enjoying visits from friends/customers all day. No one ever came in sad about eating sweets!”

Tieken and her husband, Matt, completely renovated the Broad Street building before Sheila’s Bakery opened.

“Everything in the building is brand new. We put in an electrical service, plumbing, HVAC. All flooring and some substructure was repaired/replaced,” Tieken said. “We built out the space with an ADA compliant restroom, large kitchen space for baking equipment and prep areas, storage room, back office and new staircase down to the basement.”

The front awning is also new and the renovated façade meets the New Castle Historic Preservation rules, Tieken said.

The building was ready to go and Sheila’s Bakery officially opened to the public in December 2017.

As sometimes happens, life offered a surprise turn.

Tieken and her husband, Matt, moved to Texas at the end of June.

“Matt accepted a great job opportunity with the company he worked for when we met in Dallas 10 years ago,” Tieken said. “My father and sisters all live in the area as well.”

Tieken handed the day-to-day activities of Sheila’s Bakery off to her employee, Molly Moles, who has been instrumental in keeping the bakery open and running since June.

After a lot of consideration, Tieken made the announcement this month that Sheila’s Bakery will officially close for business Dec. 22, 2018.

The New Castle will be open regular hours and will continue to take special bakery orders until then.

Sheila’s Bakery will also be closed on Thanksgiving Day.

Tieken said she and Matt hope to sell the building. They plan to put it on the market by January 2019.

“I would love to see another bakery or coffee shop move into the space since it’s been built out for that purpose already; a new tenant wouldn’t need to renovate much,” Tieken said. “It’s gorgeous inside!”

She said the space can also easily be converted into another type of shop, office or boutique.

“Thank you to our wonderful customers and community members that supported Sheila’s Bakery over the past year,” Tieken said. “I encourage everyone to support local business in New Castle – it really is key to a thriving downtown.”